Monday, December 21, 2015

When a Child is Bombed

A rescued Boko Haram child suicide bomber

When a child is bombed
The basis for rejoicing is stolen
The sound of laughter is stilled
Or it falls flat like the cackles of Gollum
On the eardrum making the sense of loss emphatic.

When a child is bombed
There's always an untold story erupting
Within calling out things forbidden to imagine.
A restlessness which amps up the fears of all the years
Confronts our doubts and strips bare our worst nightmares.

When a child is bombed
The weight of a shroud alights and grief is pronounced
As we recall 'tis the season the Christ-child came down.
Peace and goodwill become the substance of a fairytale
And our Xmas wish lists are like statements of how we failed.

Akpan




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